PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s Budget 2026 signals a shift from short-term aid towards long-term resilience, skills development, and social protection, particularly for the nation’s gig workforce.
Malaysia E-Hailing and Delivery Organisation president Jose Rizal said the budget could mark a turning point in assessing the sustainability and resilience of Malaysia’s gig workforce, particularly within e-hailing and p-hailing sectors, following the enactment of the Gig Workers Bill 2025.
“Under the Budi95 programme, more than 52,000 drivers are set to benefit, but greater transparency is needed in defining who qualifies as an ‘active driver’.
“We urge the government to adopt a soft landing approach by extending quota eligibility to all verified e-hailing and p-hailing drivers with valid Public Service Vehicle (PSV) or e-hailing Vehicle Permit (eVP) licenses and app activity records, while allowing the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) to improve its data management and service delivery,” he added.
Jose Rizal said the budget also introduces an annual RM600 contribution for Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members, capped at RM6,000 over a lifetime, which he described as crucial for encouraging savings and enhancing social protection for gig workers.
“In addition, a total of RM3 billion has been allocated through HRD Corp to provide three million training opportunities,” he said, “and clear quotas should be dedicated to gig workers to ensure transparency and effective implementation.”
Rizal added that these initiatives could generate positive spillover effects for other segments of the gig workforce.
Budget 2026 also emphasises social protection through Socso’s Skim Keselamatan Sosial Pekerjaan Sendiri (SKSPS) scheme for sectors not yet mandated, offering subsidies of 70% and 50%, while e-hailing and p-hailing drivers continue to receive coverage under the scheme.
“We remain optimistic. In previous years, some platform companies have shown commitment by voluntarily contributing to social protection schemes for their workers, using their own eligibility criteria and funding allocations.
“We remain hopeful that Budget 2026 will mark a turning point in assessing the sustainability and resilience of Malaysia’s gig workforce, particularly within the e-hailing and p-hailing sectors, as the nation moves forward into a new phase following the enactment of the Gig Workers Bill 2025.”
